Precipice
by Flash Gator
Summary: A GiroNatsu story presented as a series of related drabbles. Five years is a long time to wait for love. Giroro/Natsumi.
1. Expectations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Keroro Gunso/Sgt Frog**

**Salutations! It has been a long time since I last did any writing, and I fear my abilities therein have suffered for it, but I shall let you fine readers be the judge of that. Herein begins a small series of drabbles for the couple of Giroro and Natsumi. They follow a sort-of order, though I find most will still work as a standalone, hence still referring to them as drabbles/one-shots rather than chapters. I hope you GiroNatsu fans enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them, and I hope also you can forgive any faults in the writing! I tried to make these flow as best I could, though I have been a bit eager to get them out there, so apologies for any mistakes this allowed.**

**The drabble titles are based off prompts for the 100 themes challenge. I wrote the drabbles before fitting a prompt to them, so each drabble is pretty loosely associated with its title. Try not to let that bother you, and enjoy.**

* * *

Sometimes, Natsumi forgot her own strength.

Which is not to say she broke things or unintentionally hurt people by underestimating herself, Natsumi was very careful to make sure that didn't happen.

But she had a habit of underestimating herself at the worst of times. Of forgetting; while being chased or attacked, that she was capable of defending herself and defeating her opponent. If she fell and injured her leg while being pursued she would forget, in her fright, that even one legged she was faster, more nimble and more graceful than the majority of opponents, and still had two perfectly good fists with which to defend herself.

Though it may have seemed it, he did not believe he was overestimating her. He had fought Natsumi, and fought alongside her, and he knew her strengths and limitations better than anyone. Better than Natsumi herself. She was a truly, uniquely powerful pekoponian, not to mention highly adaptable and quick thinking, and she could hold her own against the majority of foes.

Eventually he reasoned that she didn't fight back because she was, at least subconsciously, aware of her strength. That she was stronger than the rest of her kind. That she could do things that were impossible for her peers.

And perhaps she pretended otherwise because she didn't want to acknowledge it. Perhaps she wanted to be normal. Be human. Maybe she didn't want to confront the idea that she was something more.

He resolved to show her one day that being powerful didn't make her any less herself. That she shouldn't be ashamed of who she was.

After all, he knew the effect of that strength better than anyone.

* * *

Sometimes Giroro overestimated himself.

Perhaps he was so used to living and fighting in the conditions back on Keron, that he forgot things worked differently here. He forgot about the lower humidity, that his strength and stamina were reduced on this planet. In battle he appeared clumsier than she had been led to believe he was. After all, he claimed to be the number one sharpshooter in the Keron army. Yet she had seen him miss his mark many times. He was still a force to be reckoned with in battle, and his fighting abilities easily surpassed those of his fellow platoon members, and yet...

She had watched him fight. And she had watched him fall. She had seem him defeated, when she had been told by both himself and the other Keronians that he was near indestructible. The 'red devil.'

And so she battled alongside him when she could. To watch his back as he watched hers, to defend herself so he could concentrate on the battle, to take down any foe that slipped through the cracks.

Because he might be the better fighter, the more experienced. But this was her planet, and unlike Giroro, she was accustomed to fighting in all its conditions. After all, she couldn't have him be seriously injured. Of all the frogs, he was the only one she could even remotely tolerate.


	2. Questioning

It wasn't that he thought she was stupid.

She was strong, beautiful, intelligent. Perfect beyond compare. She could do anything, excelled at just about everything. But...

But then why hadn't she noticed? Why, when even Keroro had been able to figure it out?

True, he tried hard to keep his feelings secret. Though he obviously wasn't always too good at that, since just about everyone else who knew him, Keron and Pekoponian alike, had caught on. Everyone except her.

It had even come up a number of times while she was around. Each time she appeared to either not hear or not catch on. If it had been anyone else he might have brushed it aside, but Natsumi? Perfect, brilliant Natsumi?

So, he had to wonder.

Had she truly not noticed? Was she trying to spare his feelings?

Or...

Was she too afraid to confront the truth?

* * *

She enjoyed the time she spent with Giroro. Over the years they had formed a close friendship, forged through battle and arguments and evenings sat roasting sweet potatoes. Truly, it was something she never expected to happen, and yet his friendship was one of her greatest treasures (not that she'd ever tell anyone that). Sometimes she needed a friend who she felt no pressure to talk to or entertain. Someone she could relax and be herself around, someone she could easily talk to, or sit for hours with in comfortable silence.

It was almost, at times, as if he could read her mind. That he knew instinctively the perfect thing to say or do, or even not do, to comfort her or cheer her up. He knew when to talk, or when she just needed companionable silence. When she needed comforting, or a sparring partner, or someone to shoot targets with in the base.

It made no sense, of course. He was an enemy, an invader. And to top that he was also grumpy, gruff, violent and stubborn. So it made no sense to her, sometimes, how they'd even become friends in the first place. How two such _different_ individuals fit together so well.

Except, when she really thought about it, they weren't so different. Not really. If she thought about it, they were both stubborn, and prone to violence, and had bad tempers. They both enjoyed confrontation, just as they both enjoyed clear nights and sweet potatoes and the smell of a log fire. And they both protected their family above all else.

She supposed, secretly, that she now considered him family too. Just as she believed he considered her family. Why else would he protect her in battle, fight for her safety, roast extra sweet potatoes for her? It made sense.

Though she didn't understand, then, why he got so flustered and embarrassed around her. Why his face would heat up or his voice quaver or his hands shake. After all this time, after all they'd grown closer to each other, shouldn't he be calm in her company? Was Giroro so used to a life of solitude that he didn't know how to handle daily interaction from others?

She resolved she'd just have to spend more time with him, then, until he became used to it. That's what friends are for after all, right?


	3. Give Up

Five years. It had been five years since they had arrived on Pekopon. Five years of failures, of invasion plan after invasion plan down the toilet. Five years of a leader who cared only for Gunpla, of a platoon that cared only for their continued easy coexistence. Five years of complaining, of polishing his weapons, of open fires, of roasting sweet potatoes for two.

Five years of unrequited love. Five years of getting used to the hollow ache in his chest.

Five years of Natsumi Hinata.

And sometimes he decided it was enough. He'd had enough. Enough of the platoons incompetence, enough of maintaining weapons that rarely saw use, enough of invasion meetings that were now so often missed by their leader. Enough of Pekopon. Enough of the desperate longing in his heart.

But when next they received a report from headquarters ordering them to either show some results of the invasion or return to Keron, he panicked and worked just as hard as the others to come up with some false proof of their progress. Day and night he slaved away with the platoon, creating fake videos of their battles and building props designed to honour their leader.

Because when that happened, he was finally reminded of all the things on Pekopon he hadn't had enough of. Of battles fought beside one with whom he was always in perfect sync. Of too-sweet home made confections. Of long nights spent roasting sweet potatoes. Of conversations held under cover of darkness. Of pink hair and hazel eyes and a fierce temper. Of Natsumi Hinata.

Because sometimes, five years just wasn't enough.

* * *

Secretly, she was scared of losing them.

It had happened a few times now. Their leaders on Keron would demand proof their invasion progress, and they would all pitch in to create some fake evidence to placate the army of invaders back home. So far, they'd managed to bluff their way into remaining on Pekopon, but she knew time was ticking. How long now until the next demand for a progress report? How long until they tired of this slow 'invasion' and sent another platoon, or a whole army, to finish the job?

She wondered what she would do if it did happen, if they were called back to their home planet. What she would do without the frogs, who she had grown up with and loved like family for five years. What she would do without the stupid frog to bicker with, without their troublesome invasion attempts to keep her busy, without Tamama's cute 'Na-chi!' when he saw her, without keeping an eye out for Kululu's traps, without Dororo to help her understand their actions in a way her upbringing could not.

Without sparring practise and silent company and after-dinner sweet potatoes. Without Giroro.

She was no fool. She knew he of all the invaders was the one most likely to support returning to their home planet, or calling in reinforcements. He was still a soldier through and through, still determined to invade Pekopon in his mind if not through his actions. But little by little, over the years, his tenacity had dulled slightly. He was no longer so quick to complain when Keroro failed to show for a meeting, or when an invasion attempt inevitably failed.

Instead, he opened himself up to her more. He became more likely to seek her out of his own accord, to invite her on training missions or to his sweet potato harvests. He kept a spare cinderblock permanently by his fire in the event she joined him, which she did often now.

And so she hoped. She hoped that, eventually, her friendship would wear him down. She hoped that, when the time did finally come to return to their home planet, they'd say no. She hoped that _he'd_ say no.

She hoped that, eventually, he'd give up on being a soldier, so he wouldn't have to give up being her friend.


	4. Mother Nature

When she asked him how Kerons... how they well... how they _reproduced_, he thought he'd have a heart attack.

"W-why are you asking me?!"

She huffed, blushing slightly, clearly irritated by his reaction to her, rather embarrassing, question.

"I'm just curious. You guys have been here years and yet we know so little about you! Fuyuki asked Keroro a while ago, but he didn't give a very straight answer, and there's no way I'm asking that stupid frog. Since we're, you know... _friends_ I guess, I thought it'd be less weird to ask you."

_We're... she considers us... friends?_

As he sat there in his own dreamworld, still stunned by her question but in wonder at her admission, she grew cross and turned to leave.

"Fine, forget it. It doesn't matter anyway."

Shaking himself from his daze, he shot up on unsteady legs, not wanting to lose this moment with her.

"Natsumi, wait!"

She paused in the doorway, one foot already in the house.

"I-I'll tell you, if you're that interested."

Curiosity reignited, she walked back over, sitting on the grass beside the fire. Relieved but terrified, he lowered himself to his usual seat beside her. Poking at the embers with a stick, he wondered how to word it.

"W-well, uh, from what I understand of Pekoponians, it's pretty similar to that, really."

Her eyes widened.

"So, it isn't the same as frogs here, then?"

"Uh... no."

When nothing but silence followed this, she huffed again, frustrated with his vague answers.

"I don't understand, how can it be the same as us? I mean, you guys are essentially naked _all the time_. And you're all guys! How come you don't- I mean, you don't have, there isn't..."

She gestured vaguely at his lap, trying to convey her point. Eventually, he caught on. Giroro didn't think he could have blushed any harder if he tried, his face radiating heat. He couldn't believe she was really asking...

"Uh, it's uh..."

He trailed off. How could he even...

"Well? It's what? Honestly Giroro, I thought you were going to explain this to me?"

It all came out in a rush.

"It's _internal_! It's internal to keep it safe unless we're _actually_ about to- !"

He choked, unable to actually voice the words. Fortunately, Natsumi seemed to catch on, cheeks igniting from a pretty pink to a blazing tomato red. They both stared at each other a moment, both morbidly embarrassed and startled by his outburst, before Natsumi schooled herself back to being calm. She had, after all, been the one who wanted to know in the first place.

"Oh... I suppose that makes sense. I guess it would be awkward if... uh..."

She trailed off into silence.

"W-well thanks Giroro! I'll uh... just get going. See you!"

It was one of the few times he could recall being pleased to see Natsumi leave. He promptly doused the fire and dived through the flap of his tent, absolutely mortified and determined to put this bizarre day behind him.

* * *

She didn't know what had given her the urge to ask.

The desire to know had been itching away in her mind for weeks. She knew they weren't clones; she'd met Keroro's father, after all. She even knew there were both males and females of their kind, but found it hard to distinguish the two, since with no external parts, they appeared very similar. But then, if they weren't clones, how did they reproduce? Was it the same as for humans, or did they lay eggs? Did they even have any, well, _parts_, or did they reproduce like the majority of frogs on this planet? She knew it wasn't important. This was no life or death situation, and she wouldn't really be any worse off for not knowing.

Still, Natsumi was nothing if not tenacious. Se had to find out.

She was near petrified with embarrassment at the idea of asking Giroro, but she had few other options. She couldn't imagine coming to any of the other frogs with a question like that. Besides, of all the invaders, she was most likely to believe what he told her. They were friends, after all. And she'd discussed her love life and dating with him before. Was talking about this really so different?

Giroro sure acted like it was, though he answered her anyway. Strange, how relieving the itch the not-knowing had wrought did not save her from feeling mortified by what had just transpired. It was almost worse knowing Giroro was similarly affected, making her embarrassment all the more acute. Why should she feel so flustered? After all, it had just been innocent curiosity, right? Who could blame her, wondering about something like that, especially when they walked around naked all the time!

Still...

She didn't really know how to feel knowing that the frogs, that _he_ was technically sexually compatible with humans.

And why did she even care?


	5. Playing the Melody

For keronians, unrequited love is a terrible burden. For their species the urge to resonate with their beloved, once their heart has chosen a perfect mate, can become overwhelming.

After five years on Pekopon, Giroro was used to the ache in his heart this unfulfilled urge wrought. He had become accustomed to the hollowness in his chest, the loneliness that now filled long nights of solitude that before had calmed him. Most of all, he had grown used to suppressing the drive to resonate, to seeking fulfilment in the voice of his beloved.

Sometimes, though, the urge became too great. On these occasions he had a spot he frequented in a nearby mountain range, where he could call out the song of his heart without worry of being heard.

* * *

After years of living with the frogs, it never took Natsumi long to notice any suspicious behaviour with any resident of the Hinata household. And Giroro was no exception.

It wasn't that he never left without informing anyone; Giroro went where he chose, on recon or training expeditions more often than not, and always returned before his absence was cause for concern.

But Giroro was also a creature, or moreover a soldier, of habit. He never left without a gun slung over his back (so he would have one on hand at all times without needing to summon it), and he always took his saucer. Routine was a huge part of Giroro's life, and sudden breaks from it were uncommon at best.

So she had been surprised when, five months past, she had looked out her bedroom window to see him fly off into the night, weaponless, using only the combat wings built for him by Kululu. She had remained suspicious all of the following day after his return early that morning, though when nothing untoward happened, she decided to let the incident go. Until it happened again a month later. Then again three weeks after that. And so it had continued.

Finally, her curiosity won out and she decided she'd had enough. When next she saw him leave, after nearly a week of near sleepless nights, she finally found her opportunity.

Donning her battlesuit and waiting till he was a mere blip in the night sky, she took off after the red keronian, maintaining a large distance between them so as not to alert the perceptive soldier to her presence. They had been flying little more than a quarter of an hour before Giroro began to descend, landing in a small clearing on the foothills of a nearby mountain. As he departed the clearing, she made her own landing further down the mountain, making sure she was out of earshot.

Deactivating her wings, she followed his trail up the mountain, using the dense foliage for cover.

She heard him before she saw him. A lonely, yearning call suddenly echoed through the air. She felt the effect of it like a physical blow to the chest, stunning and knocking the wind from her. Continuing towards the source of the sound, she arrived at the edge of a small clearing bordering a rocky outcropping. Even from her position far below, she could make out the small red form of the corporal as he stood atop the rocks.

She had heard him resonate before with the other frogs, which she took to be a keronian ritual in camaraderie. Though she knew it was used in other situations, including courtship, thanks to Keroro. But the tone of his voice, a haunting melody that at once made her think of lost love and broken hearts, struck her so deeply she almost gasped in pain to hear it. As his song echoed through the forested expanse of mountainous terrain, she felt her heart begin to ache. The deep, sorrowful drone of his song inspired a desperate longing, so powerful it maintained an almost physical effect upon her. She felt her heart and mind weighed down by his hopeless melody, could feel her knees desire to buckle beneath her.

She thought to go to him, to hold him, to comfort him. But she knew it would be crueller to do that than leave him to his calling. Giroro was a very private being, he would not appreciate the trespass on his solitude and privacy, regardless of any good intentions she may have. So she stood and listened, gazing at the moonlit silhouette of the heartbroken warrior as he let his melody echo through the mountains.

After an age, when she heard his song begin to weaken and falter, his voice cracking from overuse, she forced herself away from the area and began to head back home. It wouldn't do to arrive after Giroro.

As she flew, she felt, for the first time, that she truly appreciated the importance of resonating for Keronians. She wondered who Giroro thought about when he resonated, lovesick and alone, in the wilderness. And she wondered too, at the pang in her own chest, that danced and writhed while she listened to his song. At the feeling that maybe she should join in too.


	6. Fairy Tale

Sometimes, while he sat gazing into the dying embers of his fire, he liked to imagine that somewhere, in the infinite possible dimensions that might possibly exist, some version of him had won the heart of his beloved. That even if he couldn't be happy in this reality, if he was doomed to heartache and loneliness, some alternate version of him somewhere had managed what he swore impossible.

After all, there was no possibility of it occurring in this reality, no matter how he wished it would. He'd been fawning after her for five years, after all. And he supposed it wouldn't mater if it had been ten years. Or twenty. She'd still likely be none the wiser and he'd still be following her around like the lovesick fool he was. He'd probably still be living in her garden when she married and had kids. What did that future hold for him, honorary live in babysitter?

But still, he could never force himself to stop hoping.

* * *

Deep down, she knew Saburo wasn't as perfect as she liked to imagine he was.

Sure, he was cute and mysterious, and had a voice that made her weak in the knees, but it wasn't like she really knew him all that well. Plus, his closeness to Kululu didn't exactly speak well in his favour.

But there was something about him, about liking someone at all, that made her happy. It was nice, getting the occasional bout of butterflies in the stomach, of imagining the perfect first date. Not to mention having something to talk about with her other female friends, since she could hardly discuss saving the world from invading frog aliens.

Still, deep down, she knew Saburo was not her fairytale prince. He was too easy going, too relaxed. She would never be able to argue with him, or spar, or trust him to cover her back in a battle. He'd rather sit on the sidelines, throwing paper bombs. Or not be there at all. With him, there may never _be_ any battles.

She didn't really want the calm life being with Saburo would offer. She wanted more than moonlit strolls and candlelit dinners. She needed someone who could keep her excited, who knew she'd never want a boring domestic life. Someone who would fight by her side and respect her strength. Someone who would know when to keep her company, or give her space, or take her to explore somewhere new.

Someone she got the nagging suspicion she'd already met.


	7. Sorrow

He had tried.

He had tried several times to overcome his infatuation with the pekoponian, had forged ahead with several invasion plans he knew could put her in harms way. He had even used alien plants to change the surroundings to those that suited his method of battle, that would leave Natsumi at a disadvantage.

And yet, as she flew towards him, a clear target in his sights, he could not pull the trigger.

It did not matter how it prevented the invasion, or how she had upset him. In those few moments of decision about whether or not to take her life, to succeed in his mission or fail, he would always make the same choice. He would always choose her.

Because some things were more important than the invasion, than his duties as a soldier. In those last moments, she would break his resolve without even realising it.

Because looking into her eyes, she broke him anew.

And a love he could never snuff out would stay his hand.

* * *

It got harder every time.

Every time they launched a new invasion. Every time she was captured, or transformed, or injured. Every time he fought on their side, instead of hers.

Because they were friends now, weren't they? They spoke every day, spent time together by the fire almost every night. They discussed the antics of the other frogs, battle strategies, other alien races, themselves. Their pasts, their dreams, their fears. He had been difficult to drag out of his shell, difficult to get to know, and even more so to like. But she had gotten there. She had achieved what few had, or would, ever manage.

And despite his gruff, angry nature, and both their quick tempers, they had clicked. They fit together, like two adjacent pieces of the same jigsaw.

But sometimes it seemed being her friend was not enough. Sometimes, he had to be an invader.

With the other frogs, it was expected, and rarely surprised her. But on the rare occasions Giroro didn't come to her aid, and sided with his comrades instead, it felt like a betrayal.

And each time, it got harder to forgive him. To ignore the growing ache in her chest from his betrayal, to suppress the tears that threatened to burst forth.

Each time, it got harder to ignore the cliff she stood at the precipice of, just a step away from tumbling into the unknown.


	8. Blood

They had won.

Of course, this was no surprise. When he and Natsumi teamed up in combat, they were an unstoppable force. Regardless of how they normally acted around each other, despite his awkward affection and embarrassment and foolish acts designed to get her attention, they were always in perfect sync on the battlefield. Without a single word to the other, they were able to swoop and dive through the air, covering each others backs, constantly alert to the exact whereabouts of the other. For them, the battlefield, the sky, was their dance floor. They moved around each other with ease, in an instinctual harmony that ensured both their own safety and the devastation of their foe.

Though he would never admit it, there was nowhere he'd rather be than on the battlefield, taking on the world with Natsumi.

As they descended to the rear garden of the Hinata residence, the sun fading at their backs, he heard a slight mechanical stutter from his companion. Concerned, he glanced her way.

Just in time to see the combat wings on her left hand side sputter out of existence.

"Aah!"

Her cry cut through the silence, snapping him to his senses. Without another thought, he dove after her as she spiralled downwards, gravity mercilessly pulling her those last fifty feet to her garden.

"Natsumi!"

He caught her during the last twenty feet of her fall, grasping onto her shoulders and attempting to pull up. This close to the ground, however, he could do little but lessen the impact. With a dull thud, Natsumi landed by his tent, Giroro flat against her chest, still grasping her shoulders. Stunned, he pulled himself upright, straddling her chest.

"Natsumi, are you okay? Natsumi!"

Groaning slightly, his beloved opened one hazel eye, squinting up at him. Slowly, she pushed herself onto her elbows, grunting from the effort.

She opened her eyes, stared at him on her chest, and did the last thing he expected.

She laughed.

Small chuckles turned to great howls of laughter, and without any clue as to why, he felt himself begin to laugh too, drawn in by the sound of her revelry.

As the minutes ticked by and the sky darkened around them his chuckles faded, and his awareness of their situation increased.

How had he not noticed their proximity, her face directly before him, her eyes level with his own? He felt his cheeks heat up as her hysterical guffaws quieted to mere chuckles, and then to silence as she noticed his stillness. Finally, she too became aware of their closeness, his slate grey eyes transfixed on her own brown ones. They sat in silence for what felt an age, neither daring to break the moment. Finally, Natsumi spoke, quiet and uncertain.

"Giroro?"

She was so hesitant, so unsure, so unlike herself in that moment he was sure he felt his heart skip a beat. Recognising in her voice everything he failed to hide in his own. Insecurity. Nervousness. Anticipation.

He couldn't have kept himself from closing that gap if he'd been of a mind to try.

* * *

Her first kiss wasn't anything like she thought it'd be. They were both too new at this, too unsure. Hands fumbled and grasped awkwardly at each other, uncertain where to rest. They pulled apart and came back together often, trying to get comfortable, faces not designed to fit together like this. She felt a bead of blood travel down her chin from a cut on her lip, where he had gotten too enthusiastic and had accidentally bitten her with his too-sharp teeth. The burn of the wound was constant, exacerbated by the ferocity of their comings together, continuously assaulted by bruising lips and questing tongues. The kiss seemed to embody all they were together. Passion, strength, violence, the stubborn drive to win, to conquer.

It was perfect.

They pulled apart suddenly, snapping back to their senses. As she gasped for breath, she saw Giroro glance at her bleeding lip, saw his pupils contract in panic.

"Don't." She said as he opened his mouth to apologize, face falling in sorrow.

"But.. but I mmph-"

She didn't let him finish, pulling him to her by his belt, crushing her lips once more against his. She felt him freeze for a moment, then he melted against her, mouth moving against hers. Slower than before, taking care to watch his teeth.

She had finally realised what she wanted, had taken that first great jump off the cliff she'd been on the precipice of for years and leapt into the unknown. And she would be damned if Giroro let his insecurities push her right back up there again.

* * *

**The end (for now)**

**I hope someone out there finds these enjoyable. I love reading for this couple, but with so few GiroNatsu fics trickling in, I thought I'd do my bit to add to the pile. **

**I do intend to follow this up with a few more one shot/drabble things, following on from the end of this one. If I do so (and bearing in mind my past failings to continue projects, that is a big if), this collection will be upped to an M rating. So if you see this disappear from the T section, that's why. If I do write new parts to this, they will not be added for at least a month, to give this fic a little more time to hold a rating it's more likely to be noticed with. We writers thrive on feedback, after all!**

**I have a couple of multichapter ideas, though they are still in the baby stages, and I wouldn't hold your breaths. But if I can keep finding material to fan that fire, who knows, maybe one day those ideas will see the fruition.**


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